As the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre approached, in the wee hours of June 2 and 3 Sina Weibo quietly removed the candle icon from its collection of “frequently used emoticons,” replacing it with an animated “London Olympic torch” icon.
Sina explained the disappearance in a @WeiboSecretary (微博小秘书) post:
WeiboSecretary: Dear @: The related icon is currently being optimized. Please excuse us for any inconvenience this causes. We sincerely